ACSIJ Advances in Computer Science: an International Journal, Vol. 3, Issue 1, No.7 , January 2014 ISSN : 2322-5157 www.ACSIJ.org Developing mobile educational apps: development strategies, tools and business models Serena Pastore 1 Astronomical Observatory of Padova, INAF Padova, 35122, ITALY [email protected] with the several market analysis companies [2]. Mobile Abstract actors involved in the mobile ecosystem (Fig. 1) includes The mobile world is a growing and evolving market in all its devices manufacturers (e.g., Nokia, Samsung, RIM aspects from hardware, networks, operating systems and Blackberry), software platforms providers (e.g. Apple; applications. Mobile applications or apps are becoming the new Google, Microsoft), applications developers and mobile frontier of software development, since actual digital users use operators that in each country (e.g., in Italy Vodafone, mobile devices as an everyday object. Therefore also in an TIM, 3G) provide Internet connectivity. A single mobile educational environment, apps could be adopted in order to take advantage of mobile devices diffusions. Developing an app device is composed by specific hardware and software should not be a decision linked to the trends, but must follow platform that deals with the peculiarities of these systems. specific strategies in choosing target devices, mobile platforms, Mobile devices should follow the user's mobility and distribution channels that in these contexts usually go (therefore mobile devices are generally of reduced size through e-commerce sites called stores (e.g., Apple Store, and weight, such that they can be transported easily). Google Play, Windows Phone store). Furthermore the design of Their hardware components manifest limited processing an educational mobile app requires a careful analysis on the power and memory, little screen dimension, but a variable methodologies to be adopted and the available tools especially if numbers of other hardware such as cameras, network the aim is to build a successful and useful app. Very often there adaptors (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), sensors like GPS (Global is a tradeoff between the costs associated with the development that requires a lot of technical and programming skills. The Positioning systems) receivers, accelerometer, compass, economic return is neither high nor guaranteed considering the proximity sensor, ambient light sensor (ALS), and gyros. business models offered by the major stores. The paper deals with the approaches to apps development analyzing methodologies, distribution channels and business models in order to define the key points and strategies to be adopted in an educational context. Keywords: Mobile apps development, cross-platforms mobile tools, native apps, e-commerce, hybrid apps, Sencha Touch, Apache Cordova 1. Introduction The mobile world is a growing and evolving market in every its facets. Mobile devices [1] intended as electronic devices created for specific functions (e.g., voice like cell phones and smartphones, reading books as Fig. 1 Actors of the mobile ecosystem e-book reader, and more general activity such as laptops or tablets) have undergone exponential growth in recent Software applications on such devices or mobile apps as years, especially with the introduction in the market of they are universally called, are the new frontier of mobile devices connected to the Internet network as software considering the mobile devices diffusion and smartphones and tablets. Even if such market includes the should follow the rules of such ecosystem. Developing an different categories of mobile devices, tablets and app of every category, even in an educational environment, smartphones seem to be the top categories in accordance should be the result of a careful analysis of mobile platforms, tools and methodologies to be adopted. There 27 Copyright (c) 2014 Advances in Computer Science: an International Journal. All Rights Reserved. ACSIJ Advances in Computer Science: an International Journal, Vol. 3, Issue 1, No.7 , January 2014 ISSN : 2322-5157 www.ACSIJ.org are a lot of hardware manufactures (e.g., Apple, Samsung, mobile platform and are therefore capable of interfacing Nokia, LG, HTG, Asus) and this fragmentation also completely with the hardware’s device. But since they are breads in mobile software platforms (e.g., iOS, Android, dedicated to mobile devices equipped with specific Symbian, and Windows Phone) that directly deal with operating system, they are targeted to a single platform. hardware and help to take advantage of the device's Web apps use web technologies (HTML5, JavaScript, performance. An app is usually targeted to few software CSS3 [4]) and are multi-platform, since they can be platforms, since developing for all existing platforms is executed from any mobile device equipped with a web really expensive and requires high technical skills. The browser. However such app could not take advantage of paper deals with the approaches to apps development all hardware capabilities, since interacts with the focusing on methodologies, tools and distribution hardware by means of an intermediate software layer and channels to analyze peculiarities and issues of the specific Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). A different methods. From methodologies point of view, compromise between the pro and cons of the two methods apps are divided into native and web apps [3] meaning the are the hybrid apps that use special frameworks mainly use of different technologies. Moreover a compromise based on JavaScript technology to convert web apps into between the pro and cons of the two methods are the native apps [5]. hybrid apps that use special frameworks to convert web Usually apps could be preinstalled in the device and apps into native apps. There are different aspects that thus imposed by the mobile software reference platform or should be taken into consideration when choosing a could be installed by the user or, as in the case of web app, specific platform or methodology, and the paper would imply a request to an Internet server machine. Convince a like to analyze them in order to figure out which is the user to download and use an app depends a lot on both its best approach for educational apps. The first section utility and its quality and how it is distributed. analyzes apps’ features focusing on types and the As regards apps distribution, even if some app can be structure of their market. The second section distinguishes delivered through specific websites or e-mail, the main the choices in the development methodologies and tools, distribution channel is an e-commerce site called store [6] while the third section examines the tools needed for the owned by major hardware and software mobile providers. development of each kind of app. It will finally give an Each store imposes specific policies for apps distribution evaluation of the various types of development taking into and different business models. In this context, a developer account also the distribution channels of the store should decide if developing for one or more mobile normally used by users to search for an app. platforms, since this decision affects the choices on methodologies, technologies, tools and distribution channels. 2. Mobile apps features and the business models 2.1 Mobile devices and platforms App design (Fig. 2), starting from the concept idea Each mobile device has different technical features in and requirement analysis, mainly differs in the stages terms of available memory, computing power, screen concerning the development and the final delivery. resolution, operating system (OS) and the hardware/software platform that determine the quality and performance. Even if actually the market seems to be occupied by few dominant players (Apple and Samsung), there are many other manufacturers of hardware and software that are trying to earn their slice market. Many companies producing mainly software such as Microsoft and Google have made agreements with hardware manufacturers to provide their own systems. Other companies like Apple or RIM Blackberry provide both the hardware and the software. Each manufacturer tries to keep pace with new technologies, thereby spreading out Fig. 2 Apps’ development and deployment steps ever newer models of the two main categories of devices (i.e., smartphones and tablets) trying to anticipate As regards development, apps can be divided into competitors to increase their market value. native or web apps meaning the use of different Among the leading manufacturers of mobile programming technologies and thus different tools and hardware, Nokia has been at the top of the sale of mobile frameworks. Native apps use the languages of the specific 28 Copyright (c) 2014 Advances in Computer Science: an International Journal. All Rights Reserved. ACSIJ Advances in Computer Science: an International Journal, Vol. 3, Issue 1, No.7 , January 2014 ISSN : 2322-5157 www.ACSIJ.org phones for many years, offering devices running the SymbianOS operating system. But with the arrival of smartphones, Nokia has lagged behind its competitors Apple and Samsung. It currently offers mobile phones that still have the Symbian OS operating system, but also the smartphones Lumia series that for now, thanks to an agreement with the supplier of Microsoft software are equipped with the Microsoft operating system Windows Phone. Samsung has been for many years very successful in selling low-end phones and smartphones. Samsung uses as software platforms the BadaOS of his property (even if it will be probably replaced with the TizenOS [5], an open operating system developed in collaboration with Intel) in most of mobile devices. It uses the Android operating system in the smartphone Galaxy series which Fig. 3 Time spent on iOS and Android device (April 2013) are those that have decreed its success. You see as the percentage of time spent on iOS and Sony-Ericsson has equipped its devices with Android devices in the use of apps is greater than the time Windows Phone and Android in the latest Xperia spent in web browsing. This clearly indicates the products, while Research in Motion (RIM) is linked to its importance of an app.